House Committee on Transportation & Energy (01/22/2009)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION & ENERGY

Date:	01/22/2009	ATTENDANCE

Time:	09:50 AM to 11:10 AM	Baumgardner	E*
		Fischer	X
Place:	HCR 0107	Frangas	X
		King S.	E*
This Meeting was called to order by		Looper	X
	Representative McFadyen	McNulty	X
		Merrifield	X
This Report was prepared by		Primavera	X
	Kurt Morrison	Vaad	E
		Green	X
		McFadyen	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
HB09-1034 HB09-1089		Referred to the Committee of the Whole Referred to the Committee of the Whole

09:51 AM -- House Bill 09-1034

Representative Liston, prime sponsor of House Bill 09-1034, explained the merits of the bill and provided background on regional transportation authorities (RTAs). The legislation would give all existing and future RTAs an additional funding mechanism, limiting the mill levy to no more than five mills. Representative Liston took questions from members of the committee.

09:56 AM -- Representative Fischer stated current challenges in funding RTAs and asked why the bill is limited to property taxes. Representative Liston replied that the figure of five mills was determined by those involved in the development of the legislation. Representative Fischer expressed his willingness to be involved in future discussions on f inance options for RTAs.

10:01 AM - Representative McFadyen asked for witnesses to testify in support or opposition to the bill.

10:01 AM -- Mr. Dan Blankenship, representing the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA), testified in support of the bill. Mr. Blankenship described RFTA, its budget, and its ridership. Voters recently approved tax increases for RFTA. Mr. Blankenship explained that sales taxes are volatile as a revenue source, and that a more reliable revenue source, such as the one proposed in the legislation, would permit debt retirement and encourage more sound operations.

10:09 AM -- Mr. Larry Small, representing the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA), testified in support of the bill. Mr. Small provided background information on PPRTA. PPRTA relies on sales tax revenues. Mr. Small responded to questions from members of the committee on new projects and communities that comprise the authority. Representative Green asked Representative Liston about a potential amendment regarding separate public votes for separate projects. Representative Liston responded that such a requirement could be cumbersome. Mr. Small provided copies of the PPRTA 2007 Annual Report to the committee members (Attachment A). Representative Green expressed concerns that not all citizens may feel that various governmental entities are responsive to citizens' wishes.

10:26 AM -- Ms. Sallie Clark, representing El Paso County and the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Clark discussed budget volatility concerns due to sales tax revenue losses. Ms. Clark stated that the legislation would be helpful for smaller communities with fewer residents. Ms. Clark responded to questions from the committee members

10:38 AM -- Ms. Elena Wilken, representing the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies, testified in support of the bill.

10:39 AM -- Mr. Rick Sonnenburg, representing the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA), testified in support of the bill.


BILL:	HB09-1034
TIME:	10:41:00 AM
MOVED:	Green
MOTION:	Moved a conceptual amendment to require that specific, major projects be listed for approval by a vote of the people. The motion failed for lack of a second.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Baumgardner	Excused
	Fischer
	Frangas
	King S.	Excused
	Looper
	McNulty
	Merrifield
	Primavera
	Vaad	Excused
	Green
	McFadyen
Not Final YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 3 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL

10:43 AM -- Representative Liston provide closing testimony and asked for an affirmative vote.


BILL:	HB09-1034
TIME:	10:46:45 AM
MOVED:	Merrifield
MOTION:	Moved to refer House Bill 09-1034 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion carried on a 9-1 roll call vote.
SECONDED:	Looper
		VOTE
	Baumgardner	Yes
	Fischer	Yes
	Frangas	Yes
	King S.	Yes
	Looper	Yes
	McNulty	Yes
	Merrifield	Yes
	Primavera	Yes
	Vaad	Excused
	Green	No
	McFadyen	Yes

Final YES: 9 NO: 1 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

10:47 AM -- The committee recessed.

10:53 AM -- The committee returned to order

10:53 AM -- House Bill 09-1089

Representative Primavera, prime sponsor of House Bill 09-1089, discussed the merits of the bill. The legislation would replace current law requiring that a motor vehicle lien filing contain the vehicle's model and color with new language that the filing contain the vehicle's year of manufacture. Representative Primavera provided a handout summarizing the bill (Attachment B).

10:56 AM -- The committee recessed.

10:58 AM -- The committee returned to order.

10:59 AM -- Representative McFadyen asked for witnesses to testify in support or opposition to the bill.

10:59 AM -- Ms. Pam Nielson, representing the Office of the Larimer County Clerk and Recorder, testified in support of the bill. Ms. Nielson provided background information on the legislation and stated that the bill would expedite transactions. Ms. Nielsen responded to questions from the committee members.

11:08 AM -- Representative Primavera provided closing comments and asked for an affirmative vote.

11:08 AM -- The committee recessed.

11:09 AM -- The committee returned to order.


BILL:	HB09-1089
TIME:	11:09:13 AM
MOVED:	Primavera
MOTION:	Moved to refer House Bill 09-1089 to the Committee of the Whole. The motion carried on an 8-0 roll call vote
SECONDED:	Green
		VOTE
	Baumgardner	Yes
	Fischer	Yes
	Frangas	Yes
	King S.	Yes
	Looper	Excused
	McNulty	Excused
	Merrifield	Yes
	Primavera	Yes
	Vaad	Excused
	Green	Yes
	McFadyen	Yes

Final YES: 8 NO: 0 EXC: 3 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

11:10 AM

The committee adjourned.